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Drawing the Human Face of a Homeland: A Reading of Khaled Hosseini’s
Novels; The Kite Runner, A thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains
Echoed
Rim Souissi
University of Sousse, Tunisia
Abstract
Being the first Afghan-American writer who writes in English, Khaled Hosseini is a relatively
new novelist whose literary reputation was established since his debut novel, The kite Runner
(2003). His successive two novels; A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) and And the Mountains
Echoed (2013) have achieved the same worldwide recognition and success.
The common thread that links Hosseini’s novels – apart from them being set in and
representative of Afghanistan’s multilayered society and complex history – is the fact that
each character in these fictional works sets out on a journey that is determined and, to a large
extent, linked to the country’s turbulent historical and social background. The itineraries that
the characters follow intersect with and reveal a lot about the country’s social, political and
historical complex matrices. Though he hopes that his novels evince an authentic and truthful
portrait of his homeland, Hosseini doesn’t claim to take on the mantle of “a teacher, a
sociologist or an anthropologist” who can fully and adequately teach about Afghanistan, as
he states in his interview with Fanney Kiefer. Nonetheless, his novels feature characters and
stories that have a worldwide resonance thanks to their representational function of a longoverlooked and relegated country – Afghanistan. My contention is that Hosseini’s fiction
penetrates the cultural boundaries that set a chasm between the East and the West. In other
words, his novels are packed with elements of a culture so much foreign, yet nonetheless very
familiar with its themes and characters. That’s what makes Hosseini’s works stand out in the
so-called ethnic literature; his rendering of Afghanistan’s culture and history accessible to
foreigners.
Keywords: Afghanistan, History, Culture, Ethnicity, Homeland, Individual journey,
Identity
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Introduction
To make readers cognizant of the fact “that the Afghan people existed before there
was a war with the Soviets and before there was a Taliban” can be perceived as one of
the premises upon which Khaled Hosseini based his works (qtd.in Bloom, 12). Thus, his
novels provide an aperture through which readers can (re)discover Afghanistan prior to its
infamous identification as the cradle and sanctuary of terrorists (Bloom 9). As a matter of fact,
Afghanistan was, and perhaps still is, tantamount to an unending terrorist threat, likely to cut a
swathe through the whole world. In this respect, the erroneous image that pops into mind once
Afghanistan is mentioned is restricted to that of mountainous, barren landscapes, ravaged
remnants of cities peopled by wretched souls, and American soldiers roaming the deserts
chasing Taliban. This proves that the human face of the nation has been shrouded, if not
totally obliterated, that we know so little, if nothing, about the way life was before the country
entered in the throes of incessant wars and invasions.
In this context, what Hosseini aspires to achieve through his fictional texts is to
challenge and subvert this blinkered and narrow outlook towards his native country. This does
not mean that his purpose is to paper over the real situation or to conceal the country’s deepseated conflicts and problems. Conversely, it is rather elucidating an authentic and faithful
representation of his nation that the writer hopes to effect. He aims at writing with “honesty
and integrity”, Hosseini indicates in an interview with Azad (qtd.in Stuhr, 6). In other words,
Hosseini’s works bring to the fore an image of a homeland “lined with trees, […] where a
child can roam the streets and fields without fear of land mines, […] where kites are flown,
and where movies are attended”(Stuhr 35). Accordingly, the novelist avers that Afghanistan
was, and still is, graced with a wealth of natural, social and human potentials lodged in the
country’s deep-rooted culture and immemorial traditions.
This paper explicates how Hosseini’s fictionalized stories are revealing of and related
to his homeland’s recent history, social fabric, and cultural peculiarities.
1.
Narrating stories, constructing a homeland portrait
Distinguishing about Hosseini’s narratives, as Ab. Majeed Dar expounds, is the fact
that they “are written against a history that has not been told in fiction before”, delineating the
cultural richness and splendor of a country heading towards destruction (4). Hence, by
mirroring his life-like characters’ experiences -- being enmeshed in the incessant sociopolitical struggles -- Hosseini draws the human face of the country that has rarely been
portrayed before. Put differently, the novelist confers on his characters the prerogative of
voicing stories that fictitiously translate his countrymen’s real journeys. Therefore, his
characters are archetypes that epitomize and illustrate the life of ordinary Afghans.
To unravel the concealed, yet subtly visible side of Afghanistan’s life, culture,
struggles, customs, traditions, hopes and possibilities, Hosseini chronicles the differing yet
convergent journeys of his characters. The latter’s fate, concomitantly interweaved with the
fate of the nation, conveys the intermittent political unrest underpinning and channeling the
stories’ lines. By the same token, Dar contends that “the dreary and violent politics of
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Afghanistan over the last half-century” are “constantly intersecting the characters’ personal
narratives” (1). In effect, all Hosseini’s works feature characters that are caught and hemmed
in vicious circles. They struggle in face of different hardships and calamities; be it personal,
familial, social or economical. This thematic quality lends his novels the distinctive
uniqueness and commonplace universality that capture, on the one hand, the distinguishing
ethnic, sectarian and regional struggles, and on the other hand, the ubiquitously individual,
familial and gender-related issues.
In the same vein, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains
Echoed are set against the backdrop of wars that played havoc with a country suffering under
the heavy toll of destruction -- Afghanistan. The author infuses his stories with a voice/voices
that articulate(s) the unutterable experiences of a nation unsettled by decades of penetrating
commotion, societal unrest, political turbulence and sectarian feuds. In fact, Hosseini’s novels
unveil what lies behind closed portals, thereby “[throwing] the doors of his country wide open
so that the world could see firsthand the real Afghanistan and the great Afghan people who
are suffering for being Afghans” (Dar 4). Being an indigenous writer, Hosseini feels it
incumbent upon him to bridge the chasm between his country and the rest of the world (qtd.in
Stuhr, 6).
In Modern Afghanistan; A history of Struggle and Survival, Amin Saikal maintains
that “rare is the country that has sustained as many blows, and such hard blows, as has
Afghanistan since its foundation as a distinct political unit in 1747” (1). This highlights the
fact that Afghanistan has been marked by perpetual turmoil resulting from the perennial and
“numerous wars and invasions and swings between extremist ideological dispositions, ranging
from tribal value systems to Marxism-Leninism and Islamic Medievalism (Saikal 1). This
bears testimony to the country’s unique and steadfast endurance. Nevertheless, the novelist
discloses that he “[thinks] of the strength of the Afghan people, […] their humility [and] their
astonishing grace” (qtd.in Bloom, 14). Therefore, he vows to translate his country’s muzzled
and muted voices into articulate, well-turned and vivid stories that capture the multifaceted
and kaleidoscopic fabric of Afghan culture. In so doing, the writer furnishes his readers with
untold and unprecedented historical accounts emanating and conveyed from the vantage
points of his characters.
In this light, though Hosseini charts and records the periods during which Afghanistan
witnessed political stability and social plateau, the subsequent political mayhem and its
attendant societal anarchy still bulk large in the novels. Thus, the novels’ narrative lines are
inextricably structured and molded against the background of these “periods of both
remarkable stability and violent turbulence, which have succeeded one another in a seemingly
haphazard manner” (Saikal 1). This bears out that the fictitious events in the novels are
interlaced with the real historical moments and periods that Afghanistan underwent.
2.
The historical, social, and ethnic background of the novels
Central and preliminary to the study is a brief foray into Afghanistan’s modern history.
Examining the different events that influenced and shaped the country’s socio-political matrix
helps determine the way the writer implemented these time periods in his texts as well as the
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significance of these historical moments in the novels. Of equal importance is to delve into
the nation’s social, ethnic and religious composition to gain the fundamental background
knowledge needed to adequately understand the novels.
2.1
Afghanistan’s history in relation to the novels
The southern Asian country’s modern history can be encapsulated in the transition
from being “a buffer state [to] a Cold War battlefield, and finally to a mere hideout
conveniently pocked with caves offering refuge to international terrorists” (Tanner 1). This
means that the landlocked country served as a buffer zone avoiding the clash between the
world’s superpowers, namely the British Empire and the Soviet Union. Then, during the
1950’s, the country was sucked into the cyclone of the Cold War and events climaxed “with
the Soviet invasion in 1979 and its withdrawal ten years later” (Barfield 1). In fact, these time
periods are very significant in relation to the novels’ narrative plots.
2.2
Pre-Soviet occupation period
The period predating the Soviet invasion is marked in the novels by a sense of political
and social stability. Though the characters go through various hardships, life for them was not
all the more complicated yet. In the Kite Runner, for example, the protagonist Amir and his
father Baba lead a stable and settled life before the Soviets invaded the country. The same
thing goes for the other two novels.
2.3
The Soviet Occupation era
In The Kite Runner, the Soviet invasion and the ensuing unrest that pervaded the
country were the reasons why Amir and Baba leave Afghanistan to seek refuge in the United
States. The Soviet occupation era is also prominently present in A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Laila, the protagonist, is born the night of the April 1978 coup. Her two brothers left Kabul in
1980 to join the Jihad against the Soviets; the fact that made her mother carry a lifetime
grudge against the Soviets for killing her beloved sons. On the other hand, Laila’s father
admits that women during that period were privileged to have their basic rights. He tells his
daughter that “it’s a good time [The communist period] to be a woman in Afghanistan”.
Laila’s school teacher, a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union, tries to foster in her students
the loyalty to the Communist nation. She forbids them from covering their heads and calls for
equality between men and women. Unlike Laila’s mother, she is a pro-Soviet, calling the
Mujahedeen “anti-progressives” and “backward bandits”. In this context, the novel displays
differing perspectives towards the Soviet rule, ranging from devoted loyalty to utmost
opposition.
Therefore, it is from the vantage points of the different characters that the writer
contextualizes this historical period, offering insight into their daily lives, thereby describing
the ramifications of the Soviet occupation on the individual, familial, and social levels.
Contrary to Hosseini’s first two novels, in And the Mountains Echoed, there are only
some references to the Soviet era in Afghanistan. Still, the novel features an important byhttp://ijhcschiefeditor.wix.com/ijhcs
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product of the Soviet war in Afghanistan – The Mujahedeen, turned into what is known as
“Warlords”. Adel’s father is one of them and he serves as an exemplar of an affluent warlord
wielding power and influence among the Afghan villagers.
2.4
The civil war period and Taliban’s ascent to power
Another landmark in the country’s history is also palpably present in the three novels;
Taliban’s reign of Islamic extremism. In 1996, and after four years of civil war, Taliban
seized power over the government and declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Subsequent to the cataclysmic ascent of Taliban to power, the country became a tinderbox due
to the repressed freedoms, oppression and despotism. During Taliban’s rule, Amir -- The Kite
Runner’s protagonist -- returns from the United States to Afghanistan to rescue Sohrab. It is
through his eyes that we see the destruction and subversion brought about by this
fundamentalist militia. He actually comes face to face with a “Talib”, only to find out that he
is his childhood nemesis. It is also through Rahim Khan’s account of events that Amir learns
how Hassan -- his servant, childhood companion, and also Sohrab’s father -- was killed by
Taliban.
In addition to the events that illustrate the Taliban’s rule in Hosseini’s debut novel; his
second novel is also laden with references to this very time period. Since the two protagonists
are women, the writer zooms in on the Taliban’s treatment of women at that time.
Characterized by harsh and tyrannical bans and restrictions, Taliban’s rules ordered women
to wear burkas covering their whole bodies, otherwise they “were beaten for showing even an
arm” (Feifer 273). Laila and Mariam epitomize the oppressed women who had to suffer the
atrocity of a patriarchal society without the right to claim an identity, let alone a voice.
As for Hosseini’s third novel – And The Mountains Echoed -- the section set during
the period predating Taliban’s control is depicted from the perspective of Nabi; a servant
living with his employers in Kabul. He provides a first-hand experience of an old man being
terrorized by the constant raids of militiamen on his employer’s house. During the civil war
and prior to Taliban’s arrival, Kabul underwent massive destruction, Nabi reports. He also
maintains that during Taliban’s time the situation was no better, given Taliban’s oppression of
young people and especially of women.
2.5
The post 9/11 period
The post 9/11period, together with the succeeding Taliban’s ouster, is also depicted in
the novels. “Soon after the attacks, America bombed Afghanistan, the Northern Alliance
moved in, and the Taliban scurried like rats into the caves” (The Kite Runner 362). In
Afghanistan; A Cultural and Political History, Thomas Bartfield indicates that the 9/11
attacks resulted in the US invading Afghanistan in return. He further adds that “Since that
time, a new Afghan government has struggled to bring stability to the country in the face of
an Islamist insurgency” (1). With the ongoing fighting, the road towards rebuilding the nation
seemed rocky and long, as the country struggled (and still does) to reconstruct itself and to
fend off terrorist attacks. It required the united efforts of both domestic and international
communities to reconstruct the war-stricken country. Amir is one of the Afghan Diaspora who
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helped rebuild Afghanistan. On the other hand, in A Thousand Splendid Suns, it is Laila who
assumes her responsibility of educating the new Afghan generation. Together with her
husband Triq, she helps rebuild an orphanage with a classroom for the children to carry on
their education. Hosseini’s third novel offers an idea about the international efforts in
bolstering the ailing country. The characters of Mr. Markos and Amra Ademovic – the two
foreign aid workers who live in Nabi’s house – illustrate the humanitarian benevolence that
Afghanistan received in the post-9/11 era.
3.
Afghanistan’s ethnic, religious and cultural varieties as represented in the novels
As mentioned earlier, Hosseini frames his novels based on the country’s significant
and decisive historical events. Nonetheless, it is not just to chart or to repeat what has “been
well documented” before, as Nabi tells Mr. Markos when describing Taliban’s era. It is rather
to explore “the fundamental tension involved in forming an identity rooted in a multifaceted
culture and an always-developing historical experience” (Bloom 61). In fact, Hosseini’s
novels involve characters whose identities as well as journeys are, to a large extent, tied to
and determined by the country’s complex culture and history.
3.1
Ethnic and religious groups as depicted in the novels
The country’s rich ethnic and cultural fabric and its resulting social stratification are
well depicted in Hosseini’s novels, and especially in his debut novel – The Kite Runner. The
writer places the accent on the ethnic and religious differences in Afghanistan, and this is
symbolized by the characters of Amir and Hassan; the former being an ethnic Pashtun and
Sunni Muslim, while the latter an ethnic Hazara and Shi’a Muslim. While Amir enjoys the
comforts of a luxurious life, a prerogative of being a Pashtun, Hassan has to toil, serve and be
the protective companion of Amir. This also holds true for their fathers, for Amir’s father is an
affluent man while Hassan’s father is his loyal servant. Ethnic discrimination is even better
illustrated by the character of Assef, Amir’s childhood bully and later “Talib”. He claims that
he wants to cleanse the country of the Hazaras, just like Hitler did with the Jews.
3.2
Afghanistan’s cultural and social portraits as conveyed in the novels
While Hosseini’s first novel paints the ethnic Darwinism, and the religious extremism
in a negative light, his second novel gives an even bleaker picture of the social and genderrelated biases that women were victim of. The novel explores the status of Afghan women in
a patriarchal society. Through the example of Mariam, a “harami” being denuded of her right
to have a father, the right to say no to a suitor nearly twice her age, and the right to be treated
properly by her spouse, Hosseini establishes an archetype of the bereft Afghan woman. It is
rather in her inability to bear a child that her suffering transpires the most. This is also the fact
that incurred the wrath and maltreatment of her husband. While Mariam epitomizes the rural,
uneducated girl that has to contend with the cruelties of an unjust society, Laila symbolizes
the urban, educated and ambitious girl. Both of them end up under the same roof, sharing the
same husband, the same plight, and eventually the same dream -- to break free from Rachid.
The female protagonists of A Thousand Splendid Suns bring to the fore the dilemmas of
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Afghan women, whose voices are drown and whose identities “burqa-clad”, to use Hosseini’s
words.
The writer’s third novel also features female characters whose journeys are no easier
than those of Mariam and Laila. Parwana is the young girl whose sense of jealousy makes
her push her twin sister off the oak tree. She is also the grown-up woman who has to spend
years paying for her mistake and nursing a crippled sister. Parwana is representative of the
rural, dignified Afghan women who live an uneasy life without complaining or breaking
down. Liberated and emancipated Afghan women are also presented and illustrated by the
character of Nila Wahdati; a wealthy socialite and poet living in Kabul.
As for the social portrait that the novels highlight, it is characterized by a huge
difference between the rural and urban areas in Afghanistan. Since the three novels partially
take place in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city, the novelist accentuates the social disparities
between the city and the countryside. While the city dwellers are living a comfortable life, the
villagers bear the brunt of grinding poverty. This has a ripple effect on their destinies and the
paths that their journeys undertake.
Conclusion
Hosseini has become renowned for his faithful representation of his homeland, basing
his aesthetic premise upon stories that are set against and emblematic of Afghanistan’s recent
history, ethnic diversity, rich culture and traditions. His works, however, transcend with their
universal themes the confines of one country, culture, or experience, as they encapsulate
struggles, hardships, and journeys that are worldwide and common between diverse countries
and cultures. Yet, his novels maintain an unprecedented fictional rigor thanks to their
informative role about Afghanistan and their literary merit as the first Afghan-American
novels received by a worldwide acclaim.
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References
-Barfield, Thomas. Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History. New Jersey: Princeton
University Press, 2010.
-Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Guides: The Kite Runner. New York: Infobase Publishing,
2009.
-Dar, Ab.Majeed. “A Feminist Perspective in A Thousand Splendid Suns.” DJ The
Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, (2013): 651-660.
Dawn
-Feifer, Gregory. The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan. New York:
HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2009.
-Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
---. A Thousand Splendid Suns. New York: Riverhead Books, 2007.
---. And The Mountains Echoed. New York: Riverhead Books, 2013.
-Hosseini, Khaled. “Bestselling Author Khaled Hosseini”. Online video Clip. Youtube.
Youtube, 31 January. 2014. Web.
-Saikal, Amin. Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival. London: I.B.Tauris
& Co Ltd, 2004.
-Stuhr, Rebecca. Reading Khaled Hosseini. Philadelphia: Greenwood Press, 2009.
-Tanner, Stephen. Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of
Taliban. U.S: Da Capo Press, 2002.
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